Hours before the start of the NFL's free-agency signing period, the Raiders locked up run-stuffing defensive end/tackle Tommy Kelly with one of the most eye-opening deals ever for a non-Pro Bowl player: seven years and $50.5 million, with $18.125 million guaranteed.

The contract is the largest ever awarded to a defensive tackle, the position where Kelly, 27, will move to now that Warren Sapp has retired.

Kelly would have been one of the most coveted free agents because of his ability to line up as an end in a 3-4 or as a speedy interior player in a 4-3 scheme. Now he can collect $25.125 million in the first three years of his new contract.

The Raiders hurried to complete the deal with agent Gary Wichard after it was learned the Broncos and the Saints were poised to offer contracts to Kelly once the signing period began at 9:01 Thursday night.

Kelly, 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, was a non-drafted free agent of the Raiders in 2004 out of Mississippi State. He missed nine games in 2007 with a torn ACL sustained during the Titans game. He was placed on injured reserve Oct. 31. Prior to the injury, Kelly had 30 tackles and one sack in seven games.

In addition, the Raiders may be ready to pounce on Giants free safety Gibril Wilson, 26, who just came off a monster season with the Super Bowl champion team and is now a free agent. The Eagles, Jaguars and Falcons also are interested in Wilson, who has 11 interceptions in four seasons in New York.

But Wilson, a San Jose native who played at Oak Grove High, apparently wants to return to the Bay Area, multiple NFL sources said. Last week, Raiders owner Al Davis reportedly sent word to the NFL scouting combine that safety Michael Huff was available in a trade. A Raiders spokesman denied that report Thursday night, although several NFL sources said that Huff, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2006 draft, had his name dangled on the trade market briefly, purportedly to gauge his value.

Raiders director of football development Mark Jackson is handling contract negotiations with agents and was heavily involved in getting the Kelly deal done. But Davis, many NFL agents have confirmed, is in charge of personnel matters on his team. There apparently is no intermediary.

"Mr. Davis is the man to talk to," one prominent agent said.

Wilson would be a strong addition to a Raiders' secondary that already boasts former Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, whom the Raiders retained Feb. 20 by using an exclusive franchise tag. But he won't come cheap: Wilson is said to be seeking at least $5 million a season and at least $11 million guaranteed.

Wide receiver Jerry Porter was en route to Jacksonville late Thursday, and FOXSports.com reported that he already has an agreement in place to sign with the Jaguars.

After failing to come to terms on a new deal in Oakland, defensive end Tyler Brayton - a first-round pick in 2003 who has been a disappointment as a lineman and a linebacker - is reportedly set to visit the Panthers.